Black History Month Spotlight: Melva F. Miller

What do you do and why?I have been an educator and instructional designer for many years. I publish books, DVDs, and other materials — with the goal of helping to empower and enlighten others. I also created a board game, titled: ECO-OPOLY. We promote our online TRUE HISTORY MUSEUM for the purpose of helping people understand the importance of African-American history, and the wisdom left to us by our ancestors.

What mark have you left on Black history?I have published several books on this topic, conducted workshops in schools and colleges, and I continue to promote these issues in various ways. My board game: ECO-OPOLY also included a part in which players must respond to questions about Black History and other “cultural issues.”

Why is celebrating Black History important to you? I often quote the experts like Cheikh Anta Diop, and Dr. Carter Woodson…in which they claim that we should study history to learn the many lessons offered. Our ancestors did leave us many remedies and answers to our problems — from health care….to politics…to economics…to education….to many other situations and issues.

Who or what do you honor most in Black History? honor many people — the achievers, inventors, freedom fighters, and others who helped to advance our people and society — like: HARRIET TUBMAN, SOJOURNER TRUTH, FREDERICK DOUGLASS, MARY MCCLEOD BETHUNE, MALCOLM X, DR. ML KING, BARBARA JORDAN…and many more.